Man, I always thought blue diamonds were just pretty rocks till I tried selling one last week. Started cause my grandma left me this tiny blue ring, looked old and worn. Figured it might be worth something? Took it to three different jewelers downtown and got wild different prices – from $500 to $10k!
My detective work begins
First I hit the library, flipping through dusty gem books that smelled like mothballs. Couldn’t understand half the fancy words. Got annoyed and just asked my friend Jamal whose uncle deals jewelry. He said “Blue diamonds? Four things change the price crazy much – look, size, flaws and shape”. That clicked better than textbooks.
Testing the 4 rules myself
Dug out that ring again with my phone’s flashlight. Seriously looked at it for an hour like Sherlock:
- Color thing: Held it near a blue pen. Mine was like faded jeans, not deep ocean blue. Jamal said “weak sauce color means weak sauce money”.
- Size check: Weighed it on my kitchen scale (after zeroing with a paperclip lol). 0.2 carats – smaller than my pinky nail! Big ones fetch Lamborghini money apparently.
- Flaw hunt: Stared till I got cross-eyed. Saw two tiny black specks inside. Showed to the $500-offer jeweler who shrugged “inclusions kill value”.
- Shape mess: Mine looked like someone chewed it – rough edges, no sparkle. YouTube videos showed perfect cushion cuts shooting rainbows.
The sad reality
Took notes comparing mine to auction pics online. Felt like bringing a tricycle to a Harley show. Book said natural blue diamonds get value from rarity – but flawed, small, pale ones? Not rare. Learned synthetics flooded the market too, crushing prices for lower grades. Ended up selling to Jamal’s uncle for $800 after he explained it’d cost more to re-cut than it’s worth.
Conclusion? Unless your blue diamond is big, vivid, clean and expertly cut – it’s just a fancy paperweight. Mine’s now somebody’s Christmas gift while I keep the lesson!
